Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device, and more particularly, to a display device with a minimized thickness and an enhanced aesthetic appearance.
Discussion of the Related Art
As society advances to the information-oriented society, display devices that display a massive amount of information are rapidly advancing. In particular, liquid crystal display (LCD) devices or organic light emitting display devices (which are flat panel display devices having excellent performance in terms of thinning, lightening, and low power consumption) are being practically applied.
In the LCD devices, active matrix LCD devices include an array substrate including a thin film transistor (TFT) that is a switching element for adjusting turn-on/off of a voltage for each pixel, and have an excellent ability to realize a resolution and a moving image. Therefore, the active matrix LCD devices are attracting much attention.
Moreover, the organic light emitting display devices are self-emitting devices that has a characteristic in which luminance is high and an operating voltage is low, and self-emits light. The organic light emitting display devices have a high contrast ratio (C/R), a thin thickness, low-temperature stability, and a low driving voltage, and have a response time of microsecond (μs), thereby easily displaying a moving image. Also, a driving circuit for the organic light emitting display devices is easily manufactured and designed. Therefore, the organic light emitting display devices are attracting much attention as flat panel display devices.
Various remedies are being needed in order for display devices to appeal to more consumers. Particularly, a thickness of a display device is minimized, and research is increasingly conducted on a design with an enhanced aesthetic appearance that can induce consumers to buy by appealing to the consumers' sense of beauty.
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a general display device.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the general display device includes a display panel 10 including a lower substrate 12 and an upper substrate 14, a panel driver 20, and a top case 30.
The lower substrate 12 includes a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines which intersect with each other to define a plurality of pixel areas, a TFT formed in each of the plurality of pixel areas, and a pixel electrode connected to the TFT.
The upper substrate 14 includes a color filter, and is facing-coupled to the lower substrate 12. A portion of the lower substrate 12 is exposed to the outside for applying signals to the gate lines and the data lines which are formed on the lower substrate 12. To this end, a partial area of the lower substrate 12 is not coupled to the upper substrate 14. The panel driver 20 is connected to a pad part formed at an edge of the lower substrate 12 which is not coupled to the upper substrate 14, and transfer the signals to the gate lines and the data lines through the pad part.
The top case 30 is provided to cover a front edge and each side of the display panel 10. The top case 30 is applied for preventing the panel driver 20, connected to the pad part of the lower substrate 12, from being exposed to the outside.
Since the top case 30 is provided to cover the front edge of the display panel 10 so as to prevent the panel driver 20 from being exposed, the general display device has the following problems.
First, since the top case 30 is provided on the upper substrate 14, a thickness of the display device increases, and due to a step height between the top case 30 and the display panel 10, a stepped portion is formed at a front surface of the display device. For this reason, a sense of beauty in design is reduced.
Second, a bezel width of the display device increases due to a front width of the top case 30 that prevents the panel driver 20 from being exposed, causing a reduction in a sense of beauty in design.